Ticket to glide: Manitoba First Nations kids get chance to cross-country ski through Spirit North program

A new program in Manitoba is giving First Nations children their first chance to cross-country ski.

Young people from five Manitoba communities Nelson House, Berens River, Hollow Water, Bloodvein and Black River gathered on the trails at Grand Beach Provincial Park Tuesday.

Some, like 10-year-oldLorneWood,stepped into skisthis winter for the first time.

"Me and my friends are always having fun," Woodsaid.

"I liked going down the jumps," said Amberly Ducharme. "I like when Ifall and get up and try again."

"Some people crashed on the bottom, but they still went and tried again, so that's good,"ElizabethBushieadded.

The program, called Spirit North, was started a decade ago in Alberta by cross-country Olympian BeckieScott.

It supplies First Nations with ski equipmentand helps set up ski clubs at community schools.This December, the skiing program expanded to Manitoba.

"We got all the ski equipment out to the schools, and we started with basic drills: teaching them how to stand up when they fall over, getting them to do some gliding down hills," saidLauraFilipow, the program director for Spirit North.

After months of practice, the young people in grades 4 through 8 gathered Tuesday to show off their new skills.

"We hope in the future, the kids are the ones that arementoring the younger kids, and they're the ones that are then leading the program for their communities and their schools," Filipowsaid.

Spirit North, which now includesB.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan andManitoba,reaches8,000 youth each year.

"We've had schools talk to us about the mental health benefits they've seen of getting kids outside," Filipowsaid.

"We've seen community members start coming in skiing with their kids," she said. "It expands very easily into the greater community."

Black River's coach, Nathan Nepinak, saidat first it was hard to get his students interested.

"Once they saw what we were doing, they started signing up more," he said.

The new ski supplies mean young people have an exciting new type of entertainment and exercise.

"There's no cost to it. So when we have allthe equipment for them, all they have to do issign up and we can bring them out," he said.

Nepinak sayscross-country skiing outside is making a difference for the kids indoors too.

"Theyhave to behave in class in order to be a part of the program, so the teachers noticed a big difference there. They see the other kids going out, so everybody wants to," he said.

"They're showing up for class more and getting their homework done."

Student WaylonHinchcliffBrass said he wants to keep up skiing, now that he knows how.

"It's easy and fun for all the kids here," said Hinchcliff Brass. "Every time I ski it makes me feel like I want to be happy for my whole life."

Program teaches kids to cross-country ski

6 years ago

Duration 2:24

The Spirit North program supplies First Nations with ski equipment and helps set up ski clubs at community schools.